People are becoming increasingly interested in giving up meat and dairy in favour of a plant-based diet, but it is a big undertaking if you don't do your research and it can be scary if you don't know what to expect. Here are four tips to help you get going.

Be protein-wise

People always ask vegans where they get their protein from but there lots of different sources to try. Beans are great and try to eat at least one cup a day. Tofu actually has more protein in it than eggs so if you've been having eggs for breakfast to get your protein levels up, swap it out for tofu scramble with some cherry tomatoes, salt, pepper and turmeric.

Be prepared

When you first start out making dietary and lifestyle changes, it can be hard to stick to it - but the key is to be prepared as possible. Always make sure that you have food in the fridge at all times so you can whip yourself up something tasty whenever you need it.

Experiment

This is the fun part about changing your diet! You'll be trying out all sorts of delicious and tasty foods and produce that you might not have considered before. Quinoa is a great choice for vegans and vegetarians, especially if you don't want to laden yourself up with carbs like potatoes, bread and rice all the time. Try it for vegan taco night and you'll soon see what we mean!

Make snacks

Snacking can be hard work if you're not completely prepared so either stock up on vegan meat alternative treats for your store cupboard for when you want a convenient snack without having to do any cooking, or make big batches of snacks like paprika roasted chickpeas you can delve into whenever you want.